Bad Decision?

[Oppiee]

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Hey Guys.

I just wanted some opinion on the decision I made. I got accepted into nova, but on very short notice and school starts next week. But I have decided to decline it and do a Masters of Science in Dentistry, then reapply in 2 years.

I know this might seem like a chance given up, but I wasn't even happy when I heard about the news. I felt like the school wasn't helpful and it was difficult to get a hold of people to find information. The websites were not clear with details. also, I just felt that this school did not feel right. Also, maybe I am not ready to leave and go so far from home yet.

What do you guys think?

Please let me know.

cheers,

 

[robg]

You can't be serious, why did you apply to Nova if you didn't plan on going?

If you try to contact anyone at almost any school right now, right before classes start, you are going to have a hard time getting in contact with anyone.

 

[Lopyswine]

well at least someone deserving will get your spot...

 

[Enso]

Yea I'll take it...

 

[Master Pain]

If it makes you feel better, the day you declined someone received the best news of his/her life.

 

[Dentalishus]

Seriously?!?! Are you really being serious right now? There is really nothing we can say because according to your post you already declined them. 🙄 You should have taken the acceptance and ran. Two years from now is not guaranteed... hope it works out for you.

 

[DentistRob]

Wow. . . 😱

Way to stick to your gut. I just wonder why you would ask SDNers if that was a bad decision or not. You can really only expect one answer from most people here. 👎 We're all scrambling to get into some dental school and to hear someone not take that chance is a bit mind boggling.

I hear NOVA is a great school that is more loyal to its students than to applicants. An unfriendly admissions office can really give you a negative impression of a school, although it's only one part of it that you don't really deal with after you're in.

 

[diane07]

I'm surprised you opted out of your acceptance. keep in mind that most schools will have something that you don't like . . . . so even if you get into another school you'll just face another set of issues (maybe not the same ones but there will definitely be something that ends up irking you) besides it's a gamble not taking an acceptance. but it's your choice to make.

on the other hand, you made someone's day because they got IN!

 

[slick90210]

That story broke my heart a little.

 

[TheMillionaireNextDoor]

If it makes you feel better, the day you declined someone received the best news of his/her life.

LOL!!!

 

[DrReo]

Will be doing the samething in two years. The master degree isn't going to get you too far, regardless.

 

[prydA]

honestly, only you know what's best for you and if you're ready or not, and i applaud you for sticking to your hunches. best of luck

 

[Dentchica]

If it didn't feel right, it wasn't such a bad decision. maybe in 2 years, you'll get in somewhere you really want to. no point in going somewhere you're going to hate. besides, last minute decisions are the worst

 

[Kkae]

OMG!!!!
Let us pray........

 

[La Dentista]

Wow.

Is it the only place that accepted you?
Now my next question is are you afraid to be in dental school...? Does that thought overwhelm you or something?



Oh well. If you feel it wouldn't have been the best decision for whatever reason, I hope everything you do now will satisfy you. Good luck!

 

[smiley007]

No point in going somewhere you're not going to be happy at, although I guess no one can really predict that. Decision made, no regrets. It's just hard to think that instead of rushing your life and scrambling to get things in order for a mere two weeks, you will have to study some more and go through the whole application process again in two years. Good luck though!

 

[Blarelli]

If I had only one acceptance, and it came 7 months after the first acceptances were handed out, I would jump at it. Under those circumstances, I wouldn't be too choosie.

 

[doc toothache]

Hey Guys.
I just wanted some opinion on the decision I made. I got accepted into nova, but on very short notice and school starts next week. But I have decided to decline it and do a Masters of Science in Dentistry, then reapply in 2 years.
What do you guys think?

cheers,

Let's see. You had an AA of 16, you are from Canada, and U.S. ds apparently have as yet not figured out that maybe a 3.89 north of the border is not quite the same as the domestic variety and we are asked to debate the wisdom of the decision to decline and invitation from Nova.

 

[btizzels]

wow i am at a loss... I wish you the best tho

 

[jaypea65]

Sorry for the mess people, I just puked!

 

[reapply2007]

You have got to be kidding. I call bs.

 

[ttom]

Wish you the best of luck OP!

 

[Fonz]

Well it depends on where your at in life. Like if you just graduated this summer I can see why you would be willing to wait. But I think why go the masters route when U already could have had your ultimate goal already. Massive waste of time and money. And on top of that its two years of potential new dentist salary down the drain.

 

[Quattro DMD]

I can understand that you wouldn't want to move that far away, but I mean its a U.S. dental school that gets thousands of applications and they chose you! But like someone else already said by you declining someone more enthusiastic about the situation received your spot.

 

[Ninster]

Maybe it was a good time for you to realise that maybe dentistry isn't for you - I dunno, why would you NOT go when given the chance?

Then again, I guess you may be one of those people (I kind of am too) who needs some time for change to happen - maybe you just stressed out thinking about all the stuff you'd need to get done in 2 weeks.

BUT It's your decision and you made it for a reason - you don't need to ask ppl on SDN about it.​

 

[tiny]

Let's see. You had an AA of 16, you are from Canada, and U.S. ds apparently have as yet not figured out that maybe a 3.89 north of the border is not quite the same as the domestic variety and we are asked to debate the wisdom of the decision to decline and invitation from Nova.

i think he made a bad decision, but there's no need to take jabs at canadian schools... pretty cool of you

 

[litldime]

I am surprised. I remember you were somewhat excited about the news. Well, if you feel its best then go for it. With so much competition going on, I'm shocked you declined. Every school is going to have good and bad points no matter where you go as no one is perfect. I wish you good luck with your masters program.

 

[paul510psu]

Wow, a 16AA and you got waitlisted? That's no small feat.

Good luck with your Masters of Science in Dentistry. What will you do with that once you have finished that degree?

 

[Ninster]

i think he made a bad decision, but there's no need to take jabs at Canadian schools... pretty cool of you

Honestly, eh. Uncalled for.

 

[doc toothache]

i think he made a bad decision, but there's no need to take jabs at canadian schools... pretty cool of you

Honestly, eh. Uncalled for.

There was no jab at Canadian schools. The remark had to do with the Canadian grading system, but that may be a different discussion. In the meantime, can either one of you enlighten the uninitiated on the Canadian grading system and does it differ from that in the U.S?

 

[slick90210]

There was no jab at Canadian schools. The remark had to do with the Canadian grading system, but that may be a different discussion. In the meantime, can either one of you enlighten the uninitiated on the Canadian grading system and does it differ from that in the U.S?

Our courses are usually in semesters, 2 semesters being a full year (1.0 credit), half a semester being 0.5 credit. We must take a total of 5.0 credits per year (so you have 5 different courses per semester or less if full years). At UWO(University of Western Ontario) we are given percentages and at University of Toronto they are given letter grades. A 4.0 is a 90-100 or an A+
a 3.9 is 85-89 or an A and a 3.7 is and 80-84 (A-). 77-79 is 3.3 (B+) etc...
Class averages in general for Medical Science and Sciences usually hover around (at Western and Toronto) 66-71 depending on the course. So in terms of letters, around a C to a B-.

I think the bigger reason why you find all the Canadian students with high GPA's are because only the high achievers pursue dentistry. In Canada there are two d-schools I can think of off the top of my head who require an 89-91% average to be admitted and none lower then 84% (which is in British Columbia and is very expensive 50k tuition per year). So the majority of people I know right away are deterred from dentistry since Canada has such high requirements. I knew like 12 students at the beginning of the year in my classes who wanted to apply but by the end of second year switched out and are looking for other options cause they couldn't maintain a 83+ % average and weren't competitive. Of course you will find the few very dedicated students who will work towards making their application work in the States but for a Canadian to go to the states isn't as common as you think. In Canada schools only look at your GPA, DAT and interview. You do not send in LOR, PS or anything (LOR are required at 1 D-school but that is it). All these factors combined really do stop the majority of predents in Canada from pursuing their "dreams" and the persistent high achiever will end up on this board willing to do anything to become a dentist.

 

[xtractime]

to the OP, report back here in 2 years and we'll see where u are standing. could be that you finally get into the school of your dreams....or that you are still only accepted by Nova. by then you coulda been done with the boards part 1 and in the clinics.

 

[Dentalishus]

OMG!!!!
Let us pray........

Indeed!!!!

 

[AlcoHulk]

Our courses are usually in semesters, 2 semesters being a full year (1.0 credit), half a semester being 0.5 credit. We must take a total of 5.0 credits per year (so you have 5 different courses per semester or less if full years). At UWO(University of Western Ontario) we are given percentages and at University of Toronto they are given letter grades. A 4.0 is a 90-100 or an A+
a 3.9 is 85-89 or an A and a 3.7 is and 80-84 (A-). 77-79 is 3.3 (B+) etc...
Class averages in general for Medical Science and Sciences usually hover around (at Western and Toronto) 66-71 depending on the course. So in terms of letters, around a C to a B-.

I think the bigger reason why you find all the Canadian students with high GPA's are because only the high achievers pursue dentistry. In Canada there are two d-schools I can think of off the top of my head who require an 89-91% average to be admitted and none lower then 84% (which is in British Columbia and is very expensive 50k tuition per year). So the majority of people I know right away are deterred from dentistry since Canada has such high requirements. I knew like 12 students at the beginning of the year in my classes who wanted to apply but by the end of second year switched out and are looking for other options cause they couldn't maintain a 83+ % average and weren't competitive. Of course you will find the few very dedicated students who will work towards making their application work in the States but for a Canadian to go to the states isn't as common as you think. In Canada schools only look at your GPA, DAT and interview. You do not send in LOR, PS or anything (LOR are required at 1 D-school but that is it). All these factors combined really do stop the majority of predents in Canada from pursuing their "dreams" and the persistent high achiever will end up on this board willing to do anything to become a dentist.

Agreed.

The grading system is the same as US schools (A+/A = 4.0, A-=3.7, etc.) The huge difference is the way those grades are attained. There is a large discrepancy in scaling with one class having >100% being an A+, while another class having >90% is an A+. Therefore, it is up to the instructors to scale the class appropriately. Most instructors aim to place the class average around a C or C- (makes sense since C is "satisfactory" though not for us predents).

Like slick said, not many predents up here. Our schools receive ~250-400 applicants, while only 35-70 are accepted depending on the size of the school (I think UofT is the largest). Most applicants are in the high 3.7 as well, with at least 20+ DATs (including carving for Western schools) to get interviewed.

If you compare that to US schools, every student that has a chance at DS is a remarkably high achiever. Therefore, Canadians with slightly below acceptance stats have a great chance at US schools simply because of the greater number of schools available.

 

[dentalgal3123]

Rumour has it that in order to get an interivew at UfT (Uni of Toronto) this year an applicant requires a minimum of a 3.83+

 

[slick90210]

Agreed.

The grading system is the same as US schools (A+/A = 4.0, A-=3.7, etc.) The huge difference is the way those grades are attained. There is a large discrepancy in scaling with one class having >100% being an A+, while another class having >90% is an A+. Therefore, it is up to the instructors to scale the class appropriately. Most instructors aim to place the class average around a C or C- (makes sense since C is "satisfactory" though not for us predents).

Like slick said, not many predents up here. Our schools receive ~250-400 applicants, while only 35-70 are accepted depending on the size of the school (I think UofT is the largest). Most applicants are in the high 3.7 as well, with at least 20+ DATs (including carving for Western schools) to get interviewed.

If you compare that to US schools, every student that has a chance at DS is a remarkably high achiever. Therefore, Canadians with slightly below acceptance stats have a great chance at US schools simply because of the greater number of schools available.

250-400 would be an understatement. UWO had 600 last year, most likely around 700 this year. UofT usually higher then that.

 

[laundry]

If you plan on going into Academics, then I hope you make the most of your Masters experience. However, if you did it solely for having a "solid" application, then have fun re-studying for the DAT while trying to finish/defend a masters thesis at the same time. That will be fun, I'm sure.😎

And congrats to the happy soul that got your spot.😍😍

 

[doc toothache]

At UWO(University of Western Ontario) we are given percentages and at University of Toronto they are given letter grades. A 4.0 is a 90-100 or an A+
a 3.9 is 85-89 or an A and a 3.7 is and 80-84 (A-). 77-79 is 3.3 (B+) etc...

I think the bigger reason why you find all the Canadian students with high GPA's are because only the high achievers pursue dentistry. In Canada there are two d-schools I can think of off the top of my head who require an 89-91% average to be admitted and none lower then 84% (which is in British Columbia and is very expensive 50k tuition per year). So the majority of people I know right away are deterred from dentistry since Canada has such high requirements. I knew like 12 students at the beginning of the year in my classes who wanted to apply but by the end of second year switched out and are looking for other options cause they couldn't maintain a 83+ % average and weren't competitive. Of course you will find the few very dedicated students who will work towards making their application work in the States but for a Canadian to go to the states isn't as common as you think. In Canada schools only look at your GPA, DAT and interview. You do not send in LOR, PS or anything (LOR are required at 1 D-school but that is it).

Thanks for the input. While you mention that there is only 1 ds that requires LOR, there are, in actuality, 6 schools that require LORs: UBC (3), Dalhouise (3), McGill (2), Montreal (4), Manitoba (2) and Seskatchewan (3). The claim of "high achievers" is undoubtedly correct, but we may be hard pressed to find a country where professional schools, engineering, math and science, to name a few fields, do not attract "high achievers". The enigma of high mean gpa for Canadian ds may actually lie in the grading system used in Canada. In Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland/Labrador a grade of A is from 80-100% while in BC and Quebec it is from 86-100. One could certainly argue that an 80 and even an 86 for an A is somewhat easier to achieve than the 90-100 generally used in the U.S. schools.

 

[DentistRob]

In Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland/Labrador a grade of A is from 80-100% while in BC and Quebec it is from 86-100. One could certainly argue that an 80 and even an 86 for an A is somewhat easier to achieve than the 90-100 generally used in the U.S. schools.

Amen. An A in most of my classes was set at 93 or 94%.

 

[dentalgal3123]

The distribution of A's and A+'s I believe in both the US and Canada is mainly dependent on the professor - I've had classes in which only 1% of a 1200 student body received an A+.
Anyways, let's not fight, we're neighbours! 🙂

 

[GoBlueJays]

I'd get a quadrant of root canals without anesthetic, all in one marathon session, just to get an interview at Nova.

I would not do what you have done.

Regards,
Eliot Spitzer aka GoBlueJays

 

[slick90210]

Thanks for the input. While you mention that there is only 1 ds that requires LOR, there are, in actuality, 6 schools that require LORs: UBC (3), Dalhouise (3), McGill (2), Montreal (4), Manitoba (2) and Seskatchewan (3). The claim of "high achievers" is undoubtedly correct, but we may be hard pressed to find a country where professional schools, engineering, math and science, to name a few fields, do not attract "high achievers". The enigma of high mean gpa for Canadian ds may actually lie in the grading system used in Canada. In Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland/Labrador a grade of A is from 80-100% while in BC and Quebec it is from 86-100. One could certainly argue that an 80 and even an 86 for an A is somewhat easier to achieve than the 90-100 generally used in the U.S. schools.

I can understand you're point about an A being from 90-100 in the States would be easier to achieve but that would mean class averages in University (for atleast Science programs) would be D's 60-69%? From what I've seen the majority of class averages for American Universities usually fall in the C's atleast. Of course I would need real data to prove this but that's what the jist of it seems like. Rather then argue what our GPA's are, we should be talking class/year means with standard deviations. This would provide actually insight to how many students achieve 4.00's etc...

I can toss a few numbers around for the class ive been in, and you can see how my school (University of Western Ontario) compares (since I have no real idea about the grading there).

Second year genetics, Class average of 65 (C) with a standard deviation of 8. The values were practically a standard curve (w/ 1300 students) and considering these facts at an 81% (A-) you were the top 2.5% of the class with around 33 +-5 students. Of course there are many "bird" courses with class averages in the low 70's but still relatively easy to get 80's and a few other courses ie. Orgo with low 60's as a course average. All in all, I find it believable that you can get away with a higher GPA in Canada as long as you don't enroll yourself in the toughest programs and settle for a regular double major etc...